Mr. Schuurman

Diversity Issues

Gay Marketing: Product Offerings

By Darrell Schuurman, Co-Founder, Canadian Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce

You provide wireless internet for the business traveller. You provide swimming pools and water parks for families. You provide discounts for seniors. But what do you need to provide for the gay and lesbian traveller? Is it any different from the mainstream 'straight' traveller?

Simply put, no, it's no different. The gay and lesbian traveller still demands and expects the same general products services as the mainstream traveller. They want the spa, the workout facilities, the business centres. But there are still services and products that your hotel can offer to go that extra mile, and provide a message of commitment to the market. After all, since you've already invested heavily in this market, it only makes sense to provide products within the hotel that are targeted as well.

Kimpton Hotels understands this. The following quote is from their dedicated gay and lesbian section of their website:

"We pride ourselves on delivering extraordinary care and comfort to every guest. For the GLBT business traveler or couple it is a pleasure to simply extend the personalized services we offer to all guests, but we do make it a point to make sensitive modifications so that we can meet the expectations of our GLBT guests too." (http://www.kimptonhotels.com/glbt_community.aspx)

So what are some of the ways that you can introduce gay and lesbian specific products and services into your hotel? One of the easiest, and perhaps the most important, is basic access to gay and lesbian information. You should be able to readily provide guests with information on the local gay and lesbian community. Have a supply of the local gay press. Have a listing of current events happening that week in your city. Have a detailed business directory so that you can provide accurate information on gay and lesbian bars, clubs, restaurants, and shops. You don't need to have this sitting on the front desk for them to grab when they check-in or in every hotel room, but the concierge and front desk agents should have this information and these resources on hand so they can quickly and accurately provide the best service to the guest.

Another basic product that you can offer to your gay and lesbian guest is targeted programming on the in-room televisions. One of first things I almost always do when I get to the room is to turn on the television and start flipping through the channels. This is my form of relaxation, and something I so seldom get to do when I'm at home. But lately I've been paying more attention to what channels I get the luxury of flipping through while curled up in bed. There are now four national gay television networks offered throughout North America, and I have yet to stay in a hotel that has offered any of theses networks. Sure, most of these stations are only a few years old, but the proliferation of hotels starting to target the gay and lesbian traveller is also fairly new. A hotel that has entered this market could easily add these channels to their line-up, and help to ensure that the guest feels right at home.

And on the topic of television, what about gay porn (I'm sure I'm going to hear a thing or two about mentioning this in my article, but I do think it's worth identifying). I'm pretty sure that most hotels offer the pay-per-view channels where guests can select from a variety of movies, including the option of watching pornography. But what types of porn are hotels offering? Under the name of research, I've flipped through the pay-per-view porn channels of numerous hotels looking to see if any of them offer gay porn, and again, I have yet to find a hotel that offers it (excluding hotels that are gay or lesbian owned/operated or solely market to the gay or lesbian traveller). So why don't hotels offer this? Pay-per-view channels and movies are a revenue generator for hotels, so why wouldn't they offer something for their gay or lesbian guests? I'm not saying that hotels should or should not be selling gay porn, but my point is that if you offer pay-per-view channels for the mainstream guests, you could easily offer the same for your gay and lesbian guests. And hey, it's a revenue centre for the hotel, so you'll make a few extra dollars from it... and I might dare say quite a few extra dollars from it.

Another way to provide a targeted product is by offering themed hotel packages that appeal to the gay and lesbian travel market. One of the best examples that I've seen of this is the W Hotel's "Pride 365" package. W Hotel was able to provide a product that had appeal to the gay and lesbian traveller by providing late check out, complimentary cocktails, and take-away gift packages of popular gay/lesbian shows. And to complete the package, they included a set of Dirty Linen pillowcases, gay-themed linens inspired by the designs of gay artist Tom of Finland. What the W Hotel did was take common hotel perks that all guest enjoys (i.e. getting to sleep in a few extra hours, needed after those free drinks at the bar), and tossing in a specific gay take-away gift. This is a perfect example of how a low-cost product can generated huge amounts of awareness and a lot of support within the gay and lesbian community.

And then there's always ways for you to provide specific product before, or even after, they've stayed with you. Having a gay and lesbian section on your website gives you a perfect opportunity to speak directly to the market, while again showing that you are committed to the market. You can provide information about where your hotel is in relation to the gay village, what events may be happening, and highlight your gay and lesbian packages. And then keep them informed through e-newsletters on what new products or initiatives your hotel is working on specifically for them.

These are just a few ideas for introducing gay and lesbian product to your hotel. But the options to offer new products are numerous. Talk to your gay and lesbian guests and find out what they want. Talk to your gay and lesbian employees; getting their input is a great way to involve them while generating some great ideas. But be unique. And be creative.

There are some people that are going to argue that the products I've listed, let alone anything "gay" specific, are not required to successfully target the gay and lesbian traveller. That may be true. At the end of the day, aren't all guests looking for a place to lay their head? Or are they looking for more; something to make them feel special or pampered or like they're at home? Providing a space that is inviting to the gay and lesbian guest is crucial; offering a few gay products for their stay, that's the icing on the proverbial cake.

Darrell Schuurman is co-founder of the Canadian Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, and is Director of the tourism program. He is responsible for improving opportunities for gay and gay-friendly tourism-based businesses through research, market development, and promotion of Canada as a gay travel destination. Darrell has worked in the accommodation, transportation, tourism, and travel sectors of the industry. He now works with Canada's national passenger railway, VIA Rail, as Manager of Market Development. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce concentrating in Tourism from the University of Calgary. Mr. Schuurman can be contacted at 416-761-5151 or darrell@cglcc.ca Extended Bio...

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